On Fathers and Spirituality

Tags

fathers, Fathers Day, inheritance, legacy, spirituality

I would like to believe that spirituality is gender neutral. If our spirit – that which is beyond mind and body, beyond the influence of space and time, is gender-neutral, then so is perhaps our ‘spiritual path’ that connects us to It.

This is not to say that we live in a gender-neutral physical world. Our very physical inception as humans required the union of two different genders. For some of us, the propagation of our genetic inheritance leads us to one day inherit society’s label of ‘father’ or ‘mother’. In my case, unprepared as (I thought) I was, on that day when she was born, I said – now what?

Many a ‘Fathers Day’ has passed since that day. In times of totally being at sea as a Dad, I have often searched for calm waters and warm breezes among the wisdom memories of my own fathers (birth Dad, my two uncles) and my grandfathers. I have walked, bhikshu bowl in hand, for morsels of advice at the doorsteps of my peers and friends who have walked the path ahead of me. I have asked for many a blessing, invoked many a fervent prayer, in many a house of worship. I have sung many a song to evoke grace and received many a poem in trail, on many a trail of mother nature’s infinitude.

In the process of doing ‘fatherhood’, I have unfolded a ‘becoming a father’. It has slowly dawned on me that the greatest legacy of my ‘fathers’ was their dedication and devotion to their practice. They did not shy away from prayer, from honoring the divine, from practicing their faith, from singing the songs of their mothers and fathers. They subscribed to the practice of silence and stillness as a love-form, speaking soft yet weighty words with lovingly measured tones, and looking me in the eye with tenderness when they deemed that I was in veering towards being lost at sea.

As I reflected on the spirituality of my fathers this week, I realized that I have much to learn and practice. I have discovered that I am fortunate to have a wisdom treasury to draw upon when needed – for they all conspired, in their own way, by their own spiritual walk, to connect me to the treasury of the Infinite.

Kumud

P.S. This is not an eulogy to my fathers, or fatherhood in general. I realize that your experience(s) as fathers, with your father(s) and those that played such role(s) in your lives, may be far from, or totally opposite of what I have described. No matter your experience(s), I hope that you will choose to reflect a bit, and join us Sunday June 16 at 9amET in our weekly twitter chat in #SpiritChat – Namaste. Kumud.

Our Spiritual Ancestry

Tags

ancestry, inheritance, remembrance, spirituality

The two week period between the full moon in September and the next new moon (October 9) are observed as Mahalaya (the great wave or rhythm) – the fortnight which honors the gifts of our ancestors and our ancestry at large. I was scarcely aware of my ancestors until my father passed away and I spent some time traveling to the Ganges for the visarjan – the final letting-go of the physical remains.

The current family priest, whose generation was the holder of our family records, unrolled the biggest handwritten book I had ever seen, full of double-sized legal sheets of paper with names of our antecedents – records that must have gone back tens of generations. It was a humbling awareness, to realize that my name would become a part of that record some day.

Beyond our physical ancestry, whose records are often susceptible to be lost to our awareness, there is our spiritual ancestry. Like the DNA that is given to us, the record of our spiritual ancestry is less susceptible to be lost over time. In Indian culture, spiritual inheritance comes in two forms – smriti (oral word) and shruti (written word). Both forms have their significance, but the former is less susceptible to being lost (or destroyed) as it is preserved in the heart’s and minds of families of the preservers.

In honoring our spiritual ancestry, the first step is to remember that we actually do have one. The books, the music, the art, the festivals, the traditions, are all the physical manifestations of our spiritual ancestry. But, it goes beyond that. The greater manifestation is the pull towards self-realization through spiritual practice. Whether it be through the path of selfless, loving action, through deep inner contemplation (yoga), through deep devotion evolving through purity, or through seeking of knowledge – all the paths eventually honor our spiritual ancestry when we walk them with a spirit of open-heartedness and joy.

On the final day of the fortnight of Mahalaya, the day before the new moon, a simple offering of water (tarpan) is made to honor all our ancestors. In making an offering of water, we honor life itself. We honor our spiritual ancestry by re-aligning our heartbeat with the great rhythm – the very rhythm that we feel in the silence and the stillness of sitting on the great ocean-shore of love.

Kumud @AjmaniK

What is your spiritual ancestry? Are you aware of it? How does it influence your daily life, and the lives of those who connect with you? Share with us in our weekly twitter chat, Sunday Oct 8 at 9amET / 630pm India in #SpiritChat. Namaste.

Spiritual Ancestry through shruti

Spiritual Ancestry serves as a bridge…

On Legacy and Spirit

Tags

inheritance, legacy, purpose, spirichat, spirit

Our first two conversations in the month of October have been on our spiritual inheritance and on having a sense of purpose. The conversation on inheritance was in the context of what we receive – from those who influence us. The chat on purpose was about the how and why of having a sense of purpose and how it empowers us. I believe the conversations about inheritance and purpose would not be complete without a conversation about our legacy – in the context of what we create, not for ourselves – but, to leave behind.

I think most people have this innate sense, if not a driving desire, to leave the world in a better place than how they find it. This driving purpose influences a lot of the creative arts, science, inventions and, to some extent, discovery and exploration. As a scientist, folks often ask me – why do we really need to go to Mars? It is a good question. One could answer – well, we need to go there because it’s there. Of course, the rational answer could be that the human need for exploration is what has led to the widening of our horizons over the centuries. And we are perhaps running out of things to explore, here on earth 🙂

But I digress. The reason I mention exploration is that it is perhaps one key to the subject of legacy. We may need to explore, connect with, and understand our inheritance (the values, culture and beliefs that were imbued in us) in order to arrive at a sense of purpose. Once we arrive at purpose, what moves us forward to action? Surely, it cannot be restricted to a simple desire to make ends meet and live a comfortable life. Once we have accomplished that simple desire, what then?

It is perhaps then we have explored enough of the outside that we explore within. The great journey begins as we try and identify with our true legacy – that which derives from our heart and spirit. The more we explore the true reasons behind why we do what we do, the more our purpose becomes clear, and the closer we come to performing meaning-ful acts and actions. We position ourselves to create a living legacy.

Do you think about your legacy – what you will leave behind or be remembered for? What is the connection between legacy and fame? Or is ‘being remembered’ really not that important to you, as long as you are living a life of purpose in the here and now? How can we really leave a legacy beyond the physical realm? Or can we? What do you think your true legacy is going to be? Is it tangible or intangible?

If you have read this far, and would like to explore this topic some more, I invite you to join the #SpiritChat community on Sunday October 21st at 9am ET / 2pm UK / 6:30 India. Come share your legacy with us – or discover how you can create a meaningful one with heart and spirit.

Kumud

Update: Here is the html Transcript for the chat. Here is the pdf version for download. Also see the questions asked during the live chat on our topic of legacy. Enjoy!

Should we begin? Q1. In a personal context, what does the phrase "leaving a legacy" mean to you? #SpiritChat 

Q2. Is creating a legacy important to you? Why or why not? #SpiritChat 

Q3. A desire to leave a legacy satisfies the ego, not the spirit. Agree or disagree? Why? #SpiritChat 

Q4. What is the connection between fame and/or wealth - and legacy? #SpiritChat

Q5. How can our spiritual practice help us create a legacy - living or otherwise?  #SpiritChat  

Q6. Once created, what actions do we need to take to preserve our legacy? #SpiritChat 

Q7. What do you think your legacy will be (tangible or intangible)? Do share. #SpiritChat

Final Q8. What actions can we take in the coming week to enrich our legacy? #SpiritChat 

Our Spiritual Inheritance

Tags

inheritance, legacy, spirit, spiritchat

The beginning of Fall (autumn) always brings on a reflective mood as the change in season and colors may make us look back at the summer gone by and look forward to the winter coming ahead. Of course, for those of you reading this in the Southern hemisphere, spring is in the air and you may be reflecting ahead to summer. Regardless of the season(s) that we may be looking back on or forward to, and what they give to our lives, they seem to transition in and out of our lives with rapid frequency, don’t they?

However, there are perhaps some things which have a long-term impact, which are more long lasting and less transitory in nature. We can view these things as our inheritance – what we have received from our parents, which they received from theirs, and so on. Of course, our genetic imprint comes from our parents and influences a lot of our physical makeup and more. We may also inherit aspects of our parents’ (or those who raised us) culture – their tastes in food, clothing, music and more. The list goes on.

The stream of time sweeps away errors, and leaves the truth for the inheritance of humanity. ~
Georg Brandes

If we are affected mentally and physically by our parents (and ancestors), could our spirits be unaffected by their influence? Of course not. In a lot of instances, we are deeply affected by the spiritual (and mostly religious) practices and beliefs of our parents (or parental figures and influencers). Some of us carry these influences for most of our lives, and may even pass them on to our friends, family and communities.

So, I invite you this week to reflect on our spiritual inheritance – also known as samskaara in Sanskrit – which literally means “mental or spiritual imprint”. What aspect(s) of your inheritance do you still carry with you? What aspects of it have you let go of? Did your inheritance give you a good foundation for your spiritual growth? Or do you think that the beliefs that were given to you held you back in some way?

Join the #SpiritChat community on Sunday October 7th at 9am ET / 2pm UK / 6:30 India as we explore some of these questions. Bring your thoughts on inheritance as we kick off October with a look to the past, so we may live better in the present.

Kumud

P.S. You are welcome to share your thoughts on inheritance in the comments. Thank you!

Update: Here is the html Transcript for the chat. Here is the pdf version for download. Also see the questions asked during the live chat held Oct 7th 2012 at 9am ET. Feel free to answer in the comments or tweet with hashtag #spiritchat to share your answers with the community.

Q1. "Spiritual inheritance". What does that phrase mean to you? #SpiritChat

Q2. What are some cherished things you have inherited ~ spiritual or material...? #SpiritChat 

Q3. Are there aspects of your inheritance have you had to let go of? Can you share some of them? #SpiritChat 

Q4. Which spiritual beliefs and/or practices inherited by you empower you?  #SpiritChat

Q5. How does a desire to preserve parts of our spiritual inheritance impact our growth? Or does it? #SpiritChat

Q6. What actions can we take to dynamically add to what we have inherited? #SpiritChat 

Q7. Honor our inheritance or change to grow. Do we need to choose? How? #SpiritChat 

Q8. Three things from your spiritual inheritance that you would pass on are...? #SpiritChat